I haven't written in a while but I handed my thesis in about a month ago and I have decided to start blogging rigorously again in order to keep myself from spiraling into a dark deep pit of despair, also known as 'looking for a job'.
Today's book was written by Richard Rive in 1986 and follows the story of several characters living in District Six in Cape Town during the early 1960s before it was hit by the infamous and terrible Group Areas Act. Rive draws on his experience, mixing first person reflections on his childhood and third person narratives on various endearing characters who lived on the street he grew up in.
This book is naturally apart of my 'no white male authors for one year' decision but I got an extra kick out of this one because it is set in the city I live in. Once again I was struck by the thrill I always get from reading books that are set in my own country, something that doesn't happen often enough. Next year I think I may do a six month stint of only South African/African authors.
I get to empathize and envision so much more when I am familiar with the geography of a book and the geography in this book is important, something that is clear simply from the title. The references to Table Mountain, the descriptions of roads and routes and areas that I am familiar with made for bittersweet reading. Despite amusing anecdotes, it was sad to read about the forced removals not only because it always sad and wrong and outrageous to read almost anything that took place during Apartheid but also because I was reminded of how the Group Areas Act has had a long term affect on my city, one that is still not integrated to the degree it should be. (She writes cosily from her sweet little flat in white, safe Rosebank near the big safe University).
One thing that was bizarre about reading this book was that I had bought it from a second hand store near my parent's home in Durban. I assume it was a prescribed reading for a high school in the region because there many adolescent, pedantic notes written in the margin, in pen (various colours) that I can only assume were written by a studious and serious young girl who had recently discovered the term 'irony'. Almost every note in almost every margin are the words "IRONIC - humerous" - even when certain exchanges or lines were not particularly ironic.
The cover of the copy I have is a fantastic sketch of sorts and all in all, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. (Don't know how to end off, am so out of practice with this blogging thing that it's been quite difficult to write this, ok. I think this one was quite dull, no? Just going to stop now.)
Today's book was written by Richard Rive in 1986 and follows the story of several characters living in District Six in Cape Town during the early 1960s before it was hit by the infamous and terrible Group Areas Act. Rive draws on his experience, mixing first person reflections on his childhood and third person narratives on various endearing characters who lived on the street he grew up in.
This book is naturally apart of my 'no white male authors for one year' decision but I got an extra kick out of this one because it is set in the city I live in. Once again I was struck by the thrill I always get from reading books that are set in my own country, something that doesn't happen often enough. Next year I think I may do a six month stint of only South African/African authors.
I get to empathize and envision so much more when I am familiar with the geography of a book and the geography in this book is important, something that is clear simply from the title. The references to Table Mountain, the descriptions of roads and routes and areas that I am familiar with made for bittersweet reading. Despite amusing anecdotes, it was sad to read about the forced removals not only because it always sad and wrong and outrageous to read almost anything that took place during Apartheid but also because I was reminded of how the Group Areas Act has had a long term affect on my city, one that is still not integrated to the degree it should be. (She writes cosily from her sweet little flat in white, safe Rosebank near the big safe University).
One thing that was bizarre about reading this book was that I had bought it from a second hand store near my parent's home in Durban. I assume it was a prescribed reading for a high school in the region because there many adolescent, pedantic notes written in the margin, in pen (various colours) that I can only assume were written by a studious and serious young girl who had recently discovered the term 'irony'. Almost every note in almost every margin are the words "IRONIC - humerous" - even when certain exchanges or lines were not particularly ironic.
The cover of the copy I have is a fantastic sketch of sorts and all in all, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. (Don't know how to end off, am so out of practice with this blogging thing that it's been quite difficult to write this, ok. I think this one was quite dull, no? Just going to stop now.)
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